Ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy does not appear to be handling his removal from his top House position after a Republican rebellion very well.
On Tuesday, an NPR reporter named Claudia Grisales relayed the following eye-opening exchange in a thread, which is posted in its entirety below:
Have NEVER seen this on Capitol Hill: While talking to @RepTimBurchett after the GOP conference meeting, former @SpeakerMcCarthy walked by with his detail and McCarthy shoved Burchett. Burchett lunged towards me. I thought it was a joke, it was not. And a chase ensued…
Burchett’s back was to McCarthy and his detail walking by in the hallway, then the lunge.
Burchett responded jokingly as McCarthy kept walking, “Sorry Kevin didn’t mean to elbow –” then seriously yelled, “why’d you elbow me in the back Kevin?! Hey Kevin, you got any guts!?”
Burchett then looked back at me and said, “jerk” referring to McCarthy. I asked if he had done that before, Burchett said “no.”
That’s when the chase ensued. Burchett took off after McCarthy and his detail. I chased behind with my mic.
@RepTimBurchett yelled after catching up to McCarthy, “Hey Kevin, why’d you walk behind me and elbow me in the back?”
KM: “I didn’t elbow you in the back.”
Burchett: “You got no guts, you did so, …the reporter said it right there, what kind of chicken move is that…”
Burchett con’t: “You got no guts, you did so, …the reporter said it right there, what kind of chicken move is that? You’re pathetic man, you are so pathetic.”
Burchett starts to walk away from McCarthy, tells me, “What a jerk,” and then yells back, “You need security Kevin!”
Burchett tells me that’s the first point of “communication” with McCarthy since Burchett voted for McCarthy’s ouster as speaker last month:
“That’s just it” for communication since ouster vote, “He’s just a jerk. He’s just a childish little…”
Burchett adds, “did you just see that?” he asks in disbelief. I’m stunned, too.
Says he won’t follow up with McCarthy on what happened, “he’s on a downhill spiral… he just, that was pretty gutless of him. I’m disappointed in his, in him.”
Burchett reiterates he hasn’t talked to McCarthy since he voted against him.
“No, no that was it. That’s it. He’s got $17 million to work against me. And he’s just a — he should have kept his word. I think that just showed what he’s about and it’s unfortunate.”
That’s a Capitol Hill story for the ages.
Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz gloated about the episode on X.
This is wild.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 14, 2023
McCarthy resorting to pushing people in the halls.
What a weak, pathetic, husk of a man. https://t.co/ssx8OJFki1
“This is wild. McCarthy resorting to pushing people in the halls,” he said. “What a weak, pathetic, husk of a man.”
Ouch.
